Music Booster Meeting Notes - May 5, 2015

Attendees: Eric Posner, James Woomert, Kelly Meissner, Bonnie Frazee, MistraMemarzadeh, Therese Madden, Tracy Yamamoto, Amie Littman, Dave Littman, Hollis White, Cathy O’Brien, HedyTanenholt, Joanna Casto, JulietaRiveral-Estrada, Renee Lennon, Ed White

Handouts: Sign-in Sheet and Balance Sheet as of April 30, 2015

Directors Report – James Woomert / Eric Posner

  • Spring concert is this week, Wednesday and Thursday. New format, playing the full program from assessment, and will have Chamber and Concert together on the stage at once.
  • Music Department Award Ceremony is next Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 7pm in the cafeteria

·Would appreciate cake or snacks from the boosters for the award ceremony.

  • Master classes coming soon with guest performances for chamber music
  • Percussion ensemble recital is Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 7pm in the band room.
  • Marching Band - 54-60 commitment forms have been turned in, would like to get to 80.

NEW BUSINESS

  • Funding for new instruments:

We are in rotation for funding from Howard County, which is every 3 years. The last two times they gave AHS close to $25K. The paperwork is being submitted now and the county is supposed to make their funding decisions by June 5th.

There are options to get a loan for the equipment, however, the interest on the loan is 30%

  • Mr. Woomert explained the need for a humidifier as well, as the extreme room temp./humidity impact the string instruments negatively.
  • Some of our instruments have been glued so many times that they cannot be repaired. We have some wind instruments with holes in them, which we have to plug with paper in order for them to work. Our gong is not working and Mr. Posner had to “borrow” one from another school.
  • Mr. Posner and Mr. Woomert shared a spreadsheet containing their wish list of items needing replacement and their priorities. Mr. Brown has not identified any items, however, choral risers will be needed soon. Wild Lake MS would like to get our old ones.
  • The directors have been working on getting the best price quotes for the instruments and equipment on their list.
  • The funding needed of the high priority/must haves on the list is about $64K. If the county provides $25K as in past years, plus $12 remaining in the budget currently, we need an additional $27-28K to meet the needs.

Orioles Fund Raising – Dave Littman, and others

  • Trained volunteers have not signed up for games. Many spots remain open. We are at risk of defaulting on our contract if we don’t get coverage. 55 people have been trained. There are no more training sessions scheduled this year. We discussed many ideas on how to encourage the currently trained to sign up.

·Dispel the rumors that the money raised goes to marching band.

·Use various methods of communication to get the word out.

·Split the list of names amongst the booster parents in the room and make phone calls.

·Send a mass email to all trained

·The training itself was intimidating to people. Setup a “Buddy” system.

·Find out what is the penalty for “defaulting on the contract”

  • Plan B is to not do Orioles fundraising in the future. Suggestions for other ways to raise funds:
  • Charge for the concerts
  • Charge for concession at concerts
  • Take up donations at all concerts
  • Eliminate the student accounts
  • Make it easier for parents to contribute. Posner: 300 active students, each family pays $100 at the beginning of the year to be in the program.
  • Corporate Patrons
  • Raise Awareness
  • We learned a lot tonight about the cost of instruments, the shape they are in and what it takes to maintain them. The rest of the parents may not be aware of these facts. To raise their contributions it would help if we raised awareness.
  • Best voice is directors. This week’s concert is a good opportunity to inform the audience
  • Present at back to school night
  • How can we get more people to attend the boosters meeting?
  • Add a True/False quiz to the concert program

Treasurer’s Report – Hollis White

  • Budget for this year is on target
  • Giant shows negative due to transactions in flux
  • Directors reported that they have pending expenses which should be covered by the remaining funds